AlveinFencer posted...
I mean, when they can't fall back on "But we won the popular vote" I guess you gotta adapt to the climate.
By a small amount, and that isn't considering the dubious tactics used to suppress voter turnout, especially in areas that would lean Democratic.
I don't know why people are acting like this is some national realignment, as of Trump put out some Reagan level numbers, when his margin of victory in terms of popular vote wasn't that great.
And is part of a bigger trend globally where people are tending to toss out the party previously in power. This election seems like it was more than anything a referendum against the status quo, and of, even if not accurate, placing sole blame for inflation and other economic woes at the feet of the prior incumbents.
That isn't to excuse the stupidity of the American electorate, nor of the obvious racial animosity that without a doubt influenced a not small portion of the populace.
But running to the right, and essentially conceding the narrative only further lends false legitimacy to GOP talking points. When you essentially half agree with them out the gate, you not only potentially harm your own odds, but give them a false sense of validation.
A lot of voters will take cues from their elected officials, and those officials can to an extent sway public opinion. The GOP did a ton of that with their constant fear mongering over immigrants and trans people.
That was bad enough. Now imagine that the sole opposition party decides to agree with them on at least the basic premise that their underlying framework is correct. Sure they might differ on solutions, but it sends a message.
It lends a false legitimacy, and will have the effect of making people who would normally not consider it to think that those things floated by the GOP have merit. And some of those people might even drift towards the GOP in terms of voting, because now that they have been scared into a position, they are more suspectable to fear mongering and the drastic 'solutions' Republicans offer.
It's a self defeating strategy in the end, because it helps drive public opinion on the wrong direction, has shown little to no impact for supposedly left leaning parties who try such a strategy, and it not only emboldens the far right, but lends them an air of legitimacy.
Democratic politicians need to have a strong counter narrative. That the enemies are the robber baron types hijacking our government, and that the Republicans are using issues like immigrants as a distraction to hide the fact that they are in cahoots with those interests.
Present left wing ideas, but market them as more common sense and moderate. Because we know that voters in theory like left leaning policy in theory, but don't like the label associated with it most of the time. So the plan should be to still have a counter narrative to Republicans, but code as more moderate, especially when the situation calls for it.